Epilogue
Two weeks later
"It's here somewhere." Axar was clutching Franklin's arm.
Elvin swept a flashlight over the forest. "Where?"
"I don't know. She's agitated."
Franklin kissed Axar's temple. Elvin had managed to dig up some information.
None of the old wolves appeared to know exactly what had happened to Neoma, but one of the women remembered having cleaned blood off the floor in the room Franklin had turned into his office.
She said it had been Neoma's; she'd recognized the scent.
Another woman said her mate, who had now passed away, had come home shaken one night, saying something bad had happened, and how he'd had to take care of a thing in the woods by the old cave.
No one appeared to know what had happened, though Franklin assumed at least a few were lying.
Someone had murdered Neoma, a fellow pack member, and no one had cared enough to investigate.
It might be they only followed their alpha's order, but he was long dead, and they could, if they wanted to, come clean.
"There." Axar pointed at a spot between two big oak trees.
"Are you sure?" Franklin squeezed his hand.
"No, but she keeps walking over there and touching the ground."
Elvin moved like a wet dog shaking off water. "Let's check it out." The reluctance was clear in his voice, but together they neared the spot.
"What will we do if she's here?" Elvin angled the blade of the spade toward the ground.
"Call it in." Franklin wasn't keen on having police running around on pack land, but it was a murder.
Axar nodded. "Yes, she wants you to call it in. She wants someone to know she existed."
The words hit Franklin in a way he wasn't prepared for. She wanted people to know she'd existed. "I remember her." He didn't know if she could understand him. "She was kind to Elvin and me. We were pups, but she served us drinks when we came to the bar."
He might have imagined it, but he believed there was a cold touch to the back of his hand.
Axar looked between him and the empty space right next to him, making him believe what he'd felt was real.
"Oh, shit." Elvin's voice shook. "There is a bone here." He stared into the dirt, and the white of the skeleton shone in the dim moonlight. He dug some more, and Franklin was pretty sure he was looking at an arm meeting a shoulder.
"Does she remember how she died?" He focused on Axar. They could never tell the police a ghost had told them there had been a murder thirty-something years ago, but maybe they could let some information slip to help the investigation along.
Axar shook his head. "No, she's not...she's agitated. I don't think she's able to have a conversation right now."
"Has she been with you all your life? It must be over thirty years ago she was murdered."
Another head shake. "She came about a year ago. She must've been floating in the dark until she saw my light." He shrugged. "I don't think they have a sense of time in the dark."
Elvin brushed soil away from the skull and let out a deep breath as he leaned on the spade. "Shall we call it in?"
Franklin nodded and reached for the phone. As he called the number, Axar made a strangled sound and spread his arms. As the call connected and a voice sounded in Franklin's ear, Axar allowed his head to fall back, his chin tilting toward the night sky, and a light glowing from his chest.
A shaky breath left Franklin, then Axar shuddered, and the light dimmed. What the hell?
"Hello?" The voice on the phone sounded annoyed, and Franklin snapped back to reality. He told the woman about finding a skeleton and relayed the coordinates.
Snow started to fall as he hung up. "What happened?" He stared at Axar, fighting the tremor wanting to take over his body.
"She's gone."
"Gone? As in?"
Axar smiled, and it was the most beautiful thing Franklin had ever seen. "She's moved on to wherever spirits move on when they're done. She wanted to be found."
"Through you? You're the light or whatever?"
Axar shrugged. "They leave when they are ready. She's at peace now."
Franklin reached for him, wrapped his arms around him, and buried his nose in his hair. He'd found peace too. He'd found his mate.
THE END
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